Hi all from the UK ,rebarreling in 6.5x55 any advice on powder and 120g bullets

ukrem

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Hi all
ive been reading from this site for a while and ive got some good advice from some of your members
i own a rem 700 sendro in 243 and ime having her rebarreled in 6.5x55 ,i carnt wait
i mainly woodland stalk so my shots are close neck shots and chest shots out to no more than 200yds
for roe and muntjac and the odd fallow .
ime thinking of using H4350 and lapua cases with nosler b/tip120g
the reason ive gone for the b/t is my ground is littered with flints and i dont want a richoet from say [barnes 120g x]
ive used the Winchester silvertips 95g through my 243 to good effect [minimal meat damage and very accurate]
any thoughts you have or hand on experiences with this caliber and powders and bullet would be GREATLY appreciated
thanks for your time lads
ukrem
 
Welcome.

The 6.5 Swede has a very good reputation; I have a hunting buddy who loves his.

The Hodgdon website is a good one (http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp). It recommends, for that combination, 41.5 - 46.0 gr of H4350, saying it will give between 2,545 - 2792 fps. That should be good for anything you find in the UK.
 
6.5X55 load data on Hodgdon's site is safe in M96 and other vintage firearms. Using a 700 Rem these loads could be increased considerably, but the 6.5 Swede needs a long action if you intend on feeding from magazine. Your short action Remington would be ideal for the 260 Rem, re-barreling will not require any mods to magazine so feeding and extraction will be unchanged. Another option is the 6.5X47 Lapua. It seems like a perfect match for the bullets you intend to shoot.
 
thanks chinbullco
i forgot to say i bought this secondhand in 243 ,but it does have a long action i found out after the purchase that it was a 25/06 when it left the remi factory ??
 
As much as I like the 6.5x55 if you are reloading go for the 260 rem. The ready availability of cases either 243, or 308 for reforming would do it for me.
 
I haven't tried this load out yet but the previous owner of my rifle - a T3 lite - told me that the 120gr. Nosler BT's shot very well with 38.5gr of Varget. Not sure what other powders he tried. I know the 125gr. Partition shoots well in mine with H4350
 
Hi all
ive been reading from this site for a while and ive got some good advice from some of your members
i own a rem 700 sendro in 243 and ime having her rebarreled in 6.5x55 ,i carnt wait
i mainly woodland stalk so my shots are close neck shots and chest shots out to no more than 200yds
for roe and muntjac and the odd fallow .
ime thinking of using H4350 and lapua cases with nosler b/tip120g
the reason ive gone for the b/t is my ground is littered with flints and i dont want a richoet from say [barnes 120g x]
ive used the Winchester silvertips 95g through my 243 to good effect [minimal meat damage and very accurate]
any thoughts you have or hand on experiences with this caliber and powders and bullet would be GREATLY appreciated
thanks for your time lads
ukrem

If I may be so bold, why not chamber the rifle for the 260 Rem instead??? It will give you a package that will fit nicely into the mag well of the short actioned Sendero and ensure there will be no feeding problems.

You might even be able to utilize your old brass??? One pass over a neck expansion ball should do it very quickly, as long as you lube the inside of the neck. Resize and trim for length.

The brass will withstand higher pressures and might even extend your case life. 308Win brass or 7.62x51 Nato necks down just as easily.

The 260 will do anything a 6.5x55 will do. I recently sold a 260 to a young lady that is a tad recoil shy and she took her first Mule Deer buck with it, about 6 weeks ago. She also used a 129 grain Hornady bullet to do the job. A single shot into the lungs at 250 yards. The animal walked about 20 yards and just laid down to expire.

The rifle was a Model 7, Remington on a laminated stock. I had rebarreled it from a 7-08 with a pencil thin barrel with a take off barrel I found at a gun show last spring. That was a very lucky young lady. That handy little rifle would shoot into less than an inch. I was almost considering switching from my beloved Tikka T3, which, is in 6.5x55 and has taken everything from gophers and rabbits up to large moose and elk as well as everything in between, other than sheep.

The heaviest bullets I use are 140 grain Hornady SST/Interlocks, which I load with 46.0 grains of H4831. These give me 2750fps out of a 24in bbl.

The light bullets I use are 95 grain A Max for varmints up to coyotes and wolves, 120-140 grain, for everything larger.

95grain VMax load - 47.0grains of Win 760 (H414)

120grain Nosler Ballistic Tip - is a surplus bulk powder, WC852, slightly slower than H4831 and almost identical to H450, with a charge of 45.o grains

129 grain Hornady SST - 48 grains of H4831 is very accurate in my T3

All of these loads use slower powders and are loaded over CCI 250 magnum primers.

ALL of these loads are unsafe IMHO in the 96 action style Swede surplus Mausers, Krags or any other actions of similar or weaker strength limitations.

They are all safe in my Tikka T3 and show now visible extreme pressure signs so if you use them, start at least 5 grains lower and work up the load.

I have to be very careful with my T3 loads and mark the boxes for TIKKA T3 ONLY.

Your Remington action is safe with 260 Rem loads that are in the 60,000 psi range.

In the end, your choice.

Mostly, have fun with an extremely capable bullet diameter.
 
When reloading the Swede, I liked H4831. If you have the action length, go for it.

.260 or 6.5x47 (or 6.5 Creedmore) won't do anything that the Swede won't do, except run through a short action, which is pretty moot for you. The 6.5x55 is a great cartridge, the only thing better would be a 6.5-.284 or a 6.5-'06

And if you ever run out of brass, .308/7.62x51 makes usable Swede brass, just run it through the size die and shoot. The neck is a little short, so don't beat the ammo too much.
 
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